#@junemo10 thank you for letting me throw this at you

[aftertheskyy]

I love Arthur Pendragon because

y'all it’s been a minute how are you😭

I love Arthur Pendragon because he has the perfect set up to be a bad guy. You’ve got a dead mom, an absent father, high expectations from said father, tons of money and resources, a toxic household, an emotionally abusive parent, yadda yadda yadda. 

Arthur grew up with Uther for a role model; he grew up under a parent who was selfish and vengeful, who sought his version of justice through fear and violence. 

Arthur has the ultimate lineup to choose villainy. It would be so easy for him to blindly follow Uther’s path because he doesn’t really know any other path to follow. And because Uther forces his beliefs (especially regarding magic) onto Arthur (and Morgana), it seems that the natural thing for Arthur to do would be to become just as fearful and authoritative as Uther.

But Arthur doesn’t.

Arthur thinks for himself and sees the flaws in Uther’s ideas. He wants to build a better Camelot. He grows into a hero, not a villain. And yeah, he’s a bit of a douche at times, BUT HES A LOVEABLE DOUCHE. In the beginning of the series, he was that kind that arrogant jock stereotype but he still cared for Merlin and the others around him. (Poisoned Chalice, POISONED CHALICE) 

He's not heartless like Uther-- he's the exact opposite.

It was similar with Morgana, but she did become evil. Personally, I think this could be attributed to the fact that her savior figure was Morgause (who leaned towards the evil end of the spectrum) and Arthur’s savior figure was Merlin (who is anything but). (And that’s another tangent for another time)

Arthur has the potential to become just as tyrannical and dictating as Uther but never does. And goshdarnit, I love him for that.

[aftertheskyy]

Arthur + Separation

(@junemo10 I love you so much, thank you for letting me throw this all at you and for always listening to my psychology rants)

Basically researchers found that separation anxiety is normal for most infants and toddlers, ending around age 2. It’s usually prolonged after a traumatic event (Arthur finding out about his mother) or if the parent or guardian tends to display signs of excessive fear and worry (Uther and magic). 

I think Arthur has separation anxiety to a certain degree. He’s so attached to Merlin and I feel like it’s obviously because they’re friends and in love but I think it’s also cause he’s had so many inconsistent people in his life. Uther was never there. Morgana was when they were kids, but the whole evil thing kinda took a turn. He lived without a mother, and anyone who helped raise him is pretty much nonexistent in the show.

Now. Arthur doesn’t really ‘match up’ to the official diagnosis for separation anxiety, but the effects of Merlin being gone-- I can’t.

I think he probably needs a constant variable in his life and is nervous about losing others because of that need, if that makes sense? So you have Merlin, who’s the most constant variable he’s ever met. And Merlin being away from Arthur makes Arthur not necessarily nervous, but anxious to an extent. We see how panicked he gets when Merlin’s not there and it’s obviously because he cares for him, but more importantly, I think it’s also because he feels more secure when Merlin’s around.

And Merlin is always there. So Arthur doesn’t know what to do with himself. He depends on Merlin so much, and it's not in a way where he's dysfunctional without him actually that's debatable but he's not the same when Merlin's not around. It's like a piece of him is missing. FRICKIN SOULMATES.  Also Merlin helps him make decisions. Merlin is like his conscience. 

Merlin grounds Arthur, you know? He keeps him level headed and helps remind him of what really matters, who really matters and gives him something to strive for.

Arthur depends on the fact that Merlin is always there to have his back. And when he’s not there, his entire world collapses.